bennettjc
Member
Hi!
This is Bennett. I'll confess that i am a bit of a Facebook addict so I end up spending more time on the TRT groups there (too much time?) as opposed to here. But some things Gil has said have convinced me that this is the place to be.
I'm almost 60 and my testosterone journey began about a year and a half ago. I was going through a depressive episode and I asked my psychiatrist to get Testosterone levels essentially just for the hell of it. And lo and behold they came back extremely low. So low that one provider thought it was clearly a lab error. Total T was 65ng/dl and Free T was 1.5ng/dl. The cause was thought to be various medications I was on. Also, I had a benign cyst on my pituitary stalk. A neurosurgeon was certain that it played no role but an endocrinologist thought it might.
And then I saw a long series of endocrinologists (3) and urologists (5) both before and after I delved into learning about modern TRT through the various forums. I went through a low dose gel (despite my crazy low levels). It did nothing. I tried pellets. Too expensive and too much peak and trough. The Androderm patch - it was horrid. My skin reacted painfully and visibly. But I stuck through it to get a steady state level. Levels went down a bit.
After I learned about TRT I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "We will start you out at once every two weeks!" I would mention the half-life situation. "Well the research says...." "HCG? Why???"
Someone finally started me on injectable T, enanthate. Too low a dose in my opinion - 80mg/week. I split it up to twice a week against orders. Blood levels in 2.5 weeks. Maybe I feel a bit more energy?
I've finally located two insurance backed providers and will be sticking with one or the other. I didn't want to go with a "TRT Clinic" despite my very positive experience with one of them. It is a matter of principle - I pay for insurance and feel strongly I should be able to use it for a modern provider and have my medication subsidized (even though Testosterone is not pricey, particularly with a wonderful "GoodRx" coupon.
I am hoping to get to a level where I can peel away some or all of the 3 antidepressants I am on. It is a catch 22 - I don't know if my depression is secondary to my secondary hypogonadism or if my medications for depression (and lipitor) are the cause of tbe Testosterones. Or both, or neither. And I've also heard depression itself can lower Testosterones.
I happen to be a psychiatrist ( not in private practice) and love reading the papers I come across regarding Testosterone. I've become a bit of a zealot in fact... I believe firmly that Testosterone levels should be part of a workup of depression.
I like giving advice and explaining things, now that I know a bit about TRT.
For fun I like periodicals, non-fiction, talking to my grown kids, blasting music in the car, and hanging out with my girlfriend. I've never gone to a gym but have gone through phases where I do a little lifting at home.
Best,
Bennett
This is Bennett. I'll confess that i am a bit of a Facebook addict so I end up spending more time on the TRT groups there (too much time?) as opposed to here. But some things Gil has said have convinced me that this is the place to be.
I'm almost 60 and my testosterone journey began about a year and a half ago. I was going through a depressive episode and I asked my psychiatrist to get Testosterone levels essentially just for the hell of it. And lo and behold they came back extremely low. So low that one provider thought it was clearly a lab error. Total T was 65ng/dl and Free T was 1.5ng/dl. The cause was thought to be various medications I was on. Also, I had a benign cyst on my pituitary stalk. A neurosurgeon was certain that it played no role but an endocrinologist thought it might.
And then I saw a long series of endocrinologists (3) and urologists (5) both before and after I delved into learning about modern TRT through the various forums. I went through a low dose gel (despite my crazy low levels). It did nothing. I tried pellets. Too expensive and too much peak and trough. The Androderm patch - it was horrid. My skin reacted painfully and visibly. But I stuck through it to get a steady state level. Levels went down a bit.
After I learned about TRT I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "We will start you out at once every two weeks!" I would mention the half-life situation. "Well the research says...." "HCG? Why???"
Someone finally started me on injectable T, enanthate. Too low a dose in my opinion - 80mg/week. I split it up to twice a week against orders. Blood levels in 2.5 weeks. Maybe I feel a bit more energy?
I've finally located two insurance backed providers and will be sticking with one or the other. I didn't want to go with a "TRT Clinic" despite my very positive experience with one of them. It is a matter of principle - I pay for insurance and feel strongly I should be able to use it for a modern provider and have my medication subsidized (even though Testosterone is not pricey, particularly with a wonderful "GoodRx" coupon.
I am hoping to get to a level where I can peel away some or all of the 3 antidepressants I am on. It is a catch 22 - I don't know if my depression is secondary to my secondary hypogonadism or if my medications for depression (and lipitor) are the cause of tbe Testosterones. Or both, or neither. And I've also heard depression itself can lower Testosterones.
I happen to be a psychiatrist ( not in private practice) and love reading the papers I come across regarding Testosterone. I've become a bit of a zealot in fact... I believe firmly that Testosterone levels should be part of a workup of depression.
I like giving advice and explaining things, now that I know a bit about TRT.
For fun I like periodicals, non-fiction, talking to my grown kids, blasting music in the car, and hanging out with my girlfriend. I've never gone to a gym but have gone through phases where I do a little lifting at home.
Best,
Bennett
